Dementia is a syndrome associated with an ongoing decline of the brain and its abilities. This includes problems with: * memory loss * thinking speed * mental agility * language * understanding * judgment People with dementia can lose interest in their usual activities, and have problems controlling their emotions. They may also find social situations challenging, lose interest in socializing, and aspects of their personality may change. A person with dementia may lose empathy (understanding and compassion), they may see or hear things that other people do not (hallucinations), or they may make false claims or statements. As dementia affects a person's mental abilities, they may find planning and organizing difficult.
Health & Social Care Level 3 Understand and Enable Interaction and Communication with Individuals Who Have Dementia – CU1682 1.1 Explain how different forms of dementia may affect the way an individual communicates. It becomes increasingly more difficult for a person with dementia to communicate effectively, and this can vary from person to person, and by the type of dementia they have, and how far progressive it has become. Some of the different types of dementia include: Alzheimers Vascular Dementia with Lewy Bodies Parkinsons Dementia affects an individual’s capacity to remember and recognise things, as well as lose their ability to speak and understand speech. It also affects their motor skills. All of these
Unit 4222-242 Equality, diversity and inclusion in dementia care practice. Understand the importance of equality, diversity and inclusion when working with individuals with dementia 1.2 Every person has unique needs and preferences. A person with dementia may have the early onset so will have different needs to those in later stages. You need to be aware that they may not be able to express themselves and do things they used to. They may find it difficult to carry out physical tasks due to sensory loss.
* A resident may be suffering from confusion, either temporarily because of an acute medical problem, or as a result of dementia. The elderly often have some degree of sensory impairment and this also has an impact on communication. * A health care worker might be dealing with someone suffering from a mental illness. This may take many forms; perhaps the client is depressed and reluctant to speak, or may be deluded or hallucinating. This makes communication challenging and the care worker needs to learn strategies to improve her sensitivity.
1.4 - Describe the impact the behaviours of carers and others may have on an individual with dementia It could make the carers and individuals feel very vulnerable and also overwhelmed with someone that has dementia or challenging behaviour. Try swapping over staff for a break and then going back after a time. 2.3 - Analyse ways of responding to the behaviour of an individual with dementia taking account of the abilities and needs of the individual carers and
Working with individuals with Dementia calls for different approaches to communication. As dementia impairs a person’s ability to communicate effectively, it also reduces the ability to decode and understand information. It decreases the persons capacity to plan and problem solve. These language deficits are compounded by other dementia related impairments including decreased attention span and memory loss. The combination of all these attribute to a serious communication loss.
Unit 4222-237 Dementia Awareness Outcome 1 Understand what dementia is: 1.1 What is meant by the term ‘dementia’: The term 'dementia' is used to describe the symptoms that occur when the brain is affected by specific diseases and conditions. These include Alzheimer's disease and sometimes as a result of a stroke. 1.2 The key functions of the brain that are affected by dementia : Dementia is a condition of the brain which causes a gradual loss of mental ability, including problems with memory, understanding, judgement, thinking and language. In addition, other problems commonly develop such as changes in personality and changes in the way someone interacts with others in social situations. As dementia progresses, the ability of someone to look after themselves from day to day may also become affected.
Unit 371 Understand and enable positive interaction and communication with individuals with dementia 1.1 Each person with dementia is unique and difficulties in communicating thoughts and feelings are very individual. There are many causes of dementia, each affecting the brain in different ways. Some changes you might notice include: * Difficulty in finding a word - a related word might be given instead of one they cannot remember * They may speak fluently, but not make sense * They may not be able to understand what you are saying or only be able to grasp part of it * Writing and reading skills may also deteriorate * They may lose the normal social conventions of conversations and interrupt or ignore a speaker, or fail to respond when spoken to * They may have difficulty expressing emotions appropriately Here are ways to encourage communication with a person suffering dementia speak clearly and slowly, using short sentences Make eye contact with the person when they're talking, asking questions, or having other conversations Don’t make them respond quickly, because they may feel pressured if you try to speed up their answers Encourage the person to join in conversations with others where possible Don’t speak on behalf of the person during discussions about their welfare or health issues, as this can make them feel invisible and they may not speak up for themselves in other situations Don’t patronise the person you're looking after, or ridicule what they say Don’t dismiss what the person you're looking after says if they don't answer your question or it seems out of context – instead, show that you've heard them and encourage them to say more about their answer Avoid asking the person to make complicated choices – keep it as simple as possible. You may find that you'll need to use other ways to communicate, and you may have to
Outcome 1 - Be able to communicate with individuals with dementia 1.1 Describe how memory impairment can affect the ability of an individual with dementia to use verbal language. There are many types of dementia with differing causes. Some cause loss of language early on, such as a stroke in the speech areas. Others may have a gradual decline with the service user having difficulty finding or using appropriate words or being able to put together complete sentences anymore. It’s important you speak clearly and make sentences as simple to understand as possible when giving a service user with dementia instructions.
UNIT 13 Dementia Awareness 1- Understand what dementia is 1.1 Explain what is meant by th term 'dementia' The term 'dementia' describes a set of symptoms which include loss of memory, mood changes, and problems with communication and reasoning. These symptoms occur when the brain is damaged by certain diseases, including Alzheimer's disease and damage caused by a series of small strokes. Dementia is progressive, which means the symptoms will gradually get worse. How fast dementia progresses will depend on the individual person and what type of dementia they have. Each person is unique and will experience dementia in their own way.